Subscriptions, June 2026 · 5G land coverage, Oct 2026 · Ookla, first half 2026 · Starlink Mobile is a announced plan, not a fourth row yet
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US SUBSCRIPTIONS
Mobile subscriptions at the three national networks, mid-2026. Share is of these three rows only. MVNO lines that ride a network are not a fourth company.
| Network | Subscriptions | Share of three |
|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile US | 165,541,000 | 38.2% |
| Verizon Wireless | 146,953,000 | 33.9% |
| AT&T Communications | 121,050,000 | 27.9% |
TeleGeography GlobalComms, June 2026, via the Mobile Monsters ranking. Carriers no longer publish the same unit. T-Mobile now reports postpaid accounts. Verizon dropped the Consumer and Business phone split. A subscription here is the research firm’s count, not a quarterly phone-add.
COVERAGE, TWO METERS
Do not add these columns. One is 5G land area from a map firm. The other is a speed-test coverage score.
| Network | 5G land coverage | Ookla coverage score | Median download |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | 49.24% | — | 275.55 Mbps |
| AT&T | 41.11% | — | 159.3 Mbps |
| Verizon | 21.04% | 30.4% | — |
5G land coverage: WhistleOut, updated Oct 1, 2026. T-Mobile average download on that read was 238.3 Mbps. Ookla, January–June 2026: T-Mobile led median download in 47 states. Verizon led the geographic coverage score at 30.4%. T-Mobile median 5G download was 314.38 Mbps. Verizon median 5G download was 218.95 Mbps. AT&T says its low-band 5G covers more than 325 million people. That is a population claim, not a land-area claim.
WHO RIDES WHICH TOWERS
The logo on the bill is not the network. Coverage follows the host.
| Host network | Brands on it |
|---|---|
| Verizon | Verizon, Visible, Total Wireless, TracFone, Straight Talk, Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile |
| T-Mobile | T-Mobile, Metro, Mint, Ultra, Google Fi, Tello, US Cellular customers moved since 2025 |
| AT&T | AT&T, Cricket, H2O, PureTalk |
| More than one | US Mobile, Red Pocket, Consumer Cellular, Boost |
Network assignments as of October 2026, BestCellular. Boost is a hybrid after the EchoStar spectrum sale to AT&T. FCC approved that sale in May 2026.
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Starlink Mobile
On Oct. 8, 2026, SpaceX said it had agreed to buy a nationwide low-band spectrum portfolio, up to 14 MHz of paired 800 MHz, and that the deal would pave the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major US carrier. The FCC has approved plans for 15,000 V2 satellites.
The service on the air today is direct-to-cell on T-Mobile spectrum, on about 5 MHz, suited to texting and light apps. It is not a fourth row in the subscription table. Starlink’s broadband service had about 13 million customers by mid-2026. That is satellite internet, not cellular lines.
On Oct. 2 the three carriers made a satellite joint venture official, aimed at coverage in places towers do not reach. AT&T and Verizon are also in AST SpaceMobile.
World ranking, China Mobile through the US three, is on the world page.
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